Regional planners and conservation groups back extensions, outline technical fixes to Act 181 rollout
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Summary
Representatives of regional planning commissions and conservation organizations told lawmakers they support extensions to interim exemptions and recommended statutory tweaks—faster amendment authority, clearer mapping criteria, and more public outreach—to keep Act 181 implementation responsive.
Regional planning commissions and conservation groups told the Natural Resources & Energy committee they broadly support Act 181’s goals but asked for more time and statutory tools to make implementation workable for communities.
Catherine Dimitryk, an RPC executive director, said the statutory amendment process for regional plans now takes about 6–9 months and recommended adding a streamlined statutory option so RPCs can respond to local changes more quickly. "Part of our recommendations is to add the ability in statute for RPCs to have a simpler, faster amendment process," she said.
Joel Baker of the Chittenden County RPC described extensive outreach—hundreds of public engagements—and said draft growth areas in his region currently represent about 2.2% of land area, a figure that will shift as other regions submit maps. Conservation witnesses, including John Broomhead, urged that Tier 3 and the road rule be tailored through rulemaking and public input to protect habitats without unnecessarily constraining existing rural communities.
Witnesses recommended clearer LURB guidance on how mapping and habitat connectors will be applied, and they urged more proactive notice to affected landowners. Committee members asked stakeholders to submit specific amendment language and suggested extension periods so the legislature could consider a packaged set of changes in upcoming bills.
